Fighting For Happiness
by cuz-CM's-awesome
Summary: Penelope has been sick and she's not herself, the team is worried. They are in for a shock when they find out what is actually bothering her.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds and I'm not making any profit off of this story. **

**Summary: Penelope has been sick and she's not herself, the team is worried. They are in for a shock when they find out what is actually bothering her. **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

"Baby Girl, are you okay?" Morgan asked from where he was seated in the New York City Police Station.

Penelope was sitting with her head down.

She coached herself to put on a smile as she looked up.

"Yeah," she said continuing to type on her laptop "I'm fine."

Morgan didn't look convinced.

"Baby..."

"Derek I'm fine," Penelope said sternly cutting him off "it's just that stomach bug that's been bothering me."

He stood up and walked over. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he felt her tense. "Penelope," he said seriously "you've been sick for a while. Have you gone to the doctor's yet?"

"Yes I have," Penelope grunted "and he gave me some medication for it but it doesn't seem to be working. I'll have to go back when we get home."

Morgan sighed. He was worried for her, she'd been sick for the last few months; she tried to hide it but when working with profilers that was pretty much impossible.

"Maybe you should tell Hotch you're not up to working the case today," he suggested "I'm sure he could get one off the other techs to fill..."

Penelope spun around in her chair and glared at him "Don't you dare finish that sentence Derek Morgan," she growled "I am perfectly capable of finishing my work today, now if you don't mind I'd like to get back to it."

Morgan shook his head as she turned back around. Up close he had noticed that her forehead had been sweating and she looked pale, but there was no use pushing the subject, she was too stubborn to listen to him. He would just have to keep an eye on her.

He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead.

"Derek..." She began annoyed.

"I know, I know," Morgan stated "you're fine, don't worry I'm going."

"Thank you" Penelope said.

"But Princess," Morgan continued and Penelope looked wearily up at him "please tell me if you're feeling worse, I don't want anything happening to you.

Penelope sighed "Hot Stuff, stop worrying, I'll be fine."

Morgan watched her sadly as she looked back down at her screen.

Something other than her stomach ache was bothering Penelope and he was going to find out what.

...

A few hours later the rest of the team, who had been checking out the last crime scene, returned to the station.

They all looked weary, it was a bad one.

"What did you get from the scene?" Morgan asked.

"Not much," Emily's irritated voice answered.

Hotch shook his head as he made his way over to Penelope.

He leaned into her space and Morgan frowned as he watched her pull away just slightly.

"Garcia, can you pull up the surveillance of the parking lot where the last victim was abducted?"

"Yes Sir," Penelope answered shortly and the rest of the team seemed to notice.

However Hotch didn't say anything, he waited for the feed to come up and then watched it silently.

After a few minutes he straightened, his frown in place "I don't think we're going to get anything more tonight. Let's go to the hotel and rest up, we'll start fresh tomorrow.

The team nodded, none of them particularly liked the idea of heading in but they knew Hotch was right.

That was, all except for Penelope, she was happy to be going back to the hotel. In all honesty she'd been hoping this day would end as soon as it started.

She just wanted to get into bed and sleep, wishing she didn't have to get up again for the rest of the year.

They all started clearing up and heading to the exit. Penelope shut down her computer and stood.

A sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen as soon as she was upright and she almost doubled over, her hand flew to her stomach.

Morgan who had waited for her was by her side in seconds, and so was Hotch who had been speaking to the lead detective.

"Baby Girl," Morgan said anxiously as his hand landed on her arm "are you okay?"

Penelope took a deep breath and straightened "I'm fine," she said quietly.

"You're obviously not Pe..."

Penelope whipped her head around to look at him "I'm fine" she practically hissed, pulling her arm away from him.

She stood a little straighter and followed the rest of the team out the door, her pace just a bit slower than usual.

Morgan and Hotch exchanged concerned looks.

"Keep an eye on her," Hotch said.

"That was the plan," Morgan confirmed.

Hotch nodded, he said goodnight to the lead detective, and walked out of the station with Morgan.

Penelope had already gotten into the SUV with Emily, JJ and Rossi, leaving Morgan and Hotch to go in Reid's vehicle.

...

When they had reached the hotel Penelope headed straight to her room, Morgan hot on her heels.

She got into the elevator with JJ and Emily, then sighed when Morgan stepped in after them.

No one said anything; they were all stressed and looking forward to a good night's sleep.

Penelope kept her lips tightly sealed when the elevator stopped at the fourth floor and Morgan didn't get out. JJ whose room was also on the floor stepped out, "Night Guys," she said turning back to them, she gave Morgan and questioning look but he shook his head.

"Night JJ," Emily said.

"See you in the morning," Penelope added as the doors slid closed.

They went up one more floor and got off. Both Penelope and Morgan said good night to Emily before making their way to Penelope's door.

As soon as Penelope was sure that Emily was in her room she turned around and glared at Derek "Why are you following me?" she asked.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Derek explained simply.

"I've told you more than once tonight that I'm fine," she growled at him.

"And yet your behavior had proven otherwise," Derek countered.

"I'm warning you Derek, if you don't leave me alone right now…." Penelope began poking him in the chest.

Derek caught her hand "What?" he asked "You're going to set a virus on my computer…I'll chance it Baby Girl. I want to know what's going on with you."

Penelope huffed and the shook her head "Honestly Hot Stuff, you have nothing to worry about. Yes, I'm feeling sick but I just want to get into my pajamas and go to sleep. If I'm still not feeling well in the morning, I promise to tell you, okay?"

Derek searched her face; he couldn't tell if she was telling the truth or not which was an oddity for him.

Maybe he had just let his concerns overcloud his judgment and she was actually fine other than the stomach bug, He hesitated for a moment but the nodded "Okay," he said.

Penelope gave him a small smile and slid her key card into the door, it buzzed her in.

Derek caught her arm softly before she walked in "You're sure you are going to be fine? I could stay…"

"You're sweet," Penelope said patting his arm "but I just need some sleep."

He nodded and let her walk inside, watching the closed door for a second before turning and heading down to his own floor.

…

Penelope closed the door to her room with a quiet thud before leaning against it and letting out a groan.

She just wanted this case to be over. She wanted to go back home.

She was sick to her stomach and hadn't been able to keep anything solid down for the past three days.

The team thought she had just caught a bug but Penelope knew better. She had found out eight weeks ago that she was pregnant... not only that but with twins.

When her doctor had first told her she hadn't believed him, she couldn't possibly believe him it was just unthinkable.

At first she thought she was sick because she had a cold and had tried to wait it out but when that didn't work she finally made herself go to the doctor. She had been putting it off due to her busy schedule and the fact that she hated going to the doctor's but Derek had finally convinced her to go when he saw her throwing up in the parking lot.

She had lasted twelve weeks, since some days were better than others. She could go the whole week without feeling sick and then end up being sick a few days later and start feeling horrible all over again.

She had put on a few pounds in those three months but nothing that would have concerned her other than the fact that she hadn't really eaten much, and not enough to be worried about it otherwise.

But then she had found out the news and everything had fallen into place. It had all made sense.

Penelope didn't know what she was going to do. She had never expected to be knocked up out of wedlock. She always assumed that she would have been happily married for a least a year before she and her spouse found out the wonderful news.

It was never supposed to be this way. Her single and afraid to tell the father after a one night stand he didn't even remember.

Penelope sighed and rubbed her hand over her eyes.

She really wanted to go home.

She took a few painful steps towards her bed, her stomach had been cramping all day which wasn't a surprise considering she was starving but unable to eat anything.

She sat down on her bed, her hand going to her stomach as she winced.

Penelope didn't know how to feel. She had always dreamed of having kids one day at the right time but this... she just didn't know how to deal with it. She had always imagined how excited she would be when she found out she was pregnant.

She really wanted kids and thought that she would be over the moon when she found out but since she had, she had barely been herself.

She tried to act like nothing was wrong but she was depressed and hated herself for it.

She wanted to be happy like she always dreamed she would be, but instead she was constantly wishing she could take it all back.

She had trouble feeling anything motherly towards the new life forms growing within her. All she felt was resentment which deep down she hoped would change one day.

Penelope had been sure that she would have had to come clean to the team by now since she was already twenty weeks but amazingly not one of them had a clue.

They knew something was bothering her.

But as far as Penelope knew, none of them had even considered the fact that she might be pregnant since she had actually lost weight in the last two months.

Her doctor told her that was normal for woman who were overweight. When they started eating on a healthier routine when they are pregnant, they tend to lose weight rather than gain it.

Penelope was thankful for that because even though she had already had two months to figure out how to tell them she still didn't know what to say.

Penelope felt the most painful cramp yet and made herself stand up.

"Ow ow ow ow..." she mumbled heading to her luggage, she winced as she bent but managed to pull her night gown out of her bag.

She changed out of her clothes and pulled it over her head, then headed back to her bed. She pulled down the covers and slid in, curling up into a ball.

She closed her eyes trying to clear her mind. She hoped that the pain would recede enough for her to fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Don't Own. **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

Penelope was having a fitful sleep and finally came awake when pain exploded in her abdomen.

Her eyes flew open and she groaned, her hand settling on her stomach as she tried to rub the pain away. The pain was like nothing she had ever experienced.

Biting her lip Penelope began to sit up but stopped in her tracks and frowned.

It felt like she had wet herself.

She hadn't peed the bed since she was four and was sure that if she had needed to go to the washroom in the night she would have woken up.

But then again, maybe it was common for pregnant women to pee in their sleep with the baby pressing down on their bladder and all. She had never heard anything about it but maybe it wasn't common knowledge because it was rather embarrassing.

Turning to her side her hand searched for the lamp she knew was there; finally she found it and turned it on.

She shook her head wondering how she was going to explain this to the hotel staff. Maybe she could just take the sheets off and throw them down the laundry shoot herself; hopefully whoever came to clean the room wouldn't think she had stolen them.

Penelope threw the covers back and her thoughts dissipated, she gasped, her sheets weren't soaked with urine but rather blood.

She reached her hand down and touched the slimy substance then brought her fingers up in front of her to examine them.

She sat speechless for a moment, unable to comprehend what was happening. She stayed silent as she felt more blood gush out of her.

The only sound in the room was her ragged breathing.

Then it hit her like a ton of bricks.

She felt like slapping herself.

She had horrible cramping and she was twenty weeks pregnant.

She was an idiot.

She didn't have to be a genius like Reid to know the signs and the symptoms of a miscarriage when she saw them

Snapping into action Penelope stumbled to her feet, knocking over the bedside clock in her haste. It fell to the ground with a thud that sounded booming to her freaked out self.

She looked around the room, trying to think what to do. She grabbed her phone and saw that is was three in the morning, everyone on her team was probably asleep.

Again she shook her head, it looked like her teammates were finally about to find out the truth.

She hit her speed dial and hurried to the door. Without a second thought about what she was wearing she was out in the hall. She could hear Emily's phone ringing through her door as she reached it and began knocking loudly.

The ringing stopped and Emily's confused voice answered "Penelope?" she asked.

Penelope could hear movement inside the room.

"Emily I'm outside your door," Penelope just about yelled into the phone "I need your help!"

There was a pause before the door in front of her slowly opened.

Emily stood there squinting, still obviously half asleep.

"PG what is it?" Emily asked "Are you okay?"

Tears came to the forefront of Penelope's eyes as she whispered to her friend "Em...I think I'm having a miscarriage."

That woke Emily up, her eyes widened in shock and she looked down at Penelope's bloodied lower half.

"Oh My God!" she exclaimed "I didn't even know you were…this is obviously not the time for that… We need to get you to a hospital!"

Emily flipped open her cell that was still in her hands and dialed 911.

Penelope gasped as her stomach cramped again and Emily hurried through her explanations.

"Please guys," Penelope whispered rubbing her tummy "don't do this. I promise to get over my slump and be the best mom ever but please, please just stay strong."

…

The paramedics had gotten to the hotel relatively quickly and Penelope was soon on her way to the hospital, Emily riding along beside her.

"We need to let the others know," Emily said, she was holding Penelope's hand and watching the paramedics as they moved around her friend, examining her.

They hadn't notified the team before they left since Emily had been busily grabbing a sweater for her friend and a pair of pajama pants since Penelope had refused to go down to the lobby in nothing but her rather revealing nighty.

Then the paramedics had gotten there and soon they were being ushered into the ambulance.

Penelope closed her eyes tightly. She knew Emily was right; the team would be worried if they woke up to find them gone but she still hated the idea of having them know.

She had known it was going to happen sooner or later but she wished she had more time.

However now that she was on her way to the hospital she knew that wasn't possible.

"Penelope?" Emily asked squeezing her hand.

Penelope nodded slowly "Just do it."

Emily felt saddened by Penelope's response, she wasn't sure why her friend had hid her pregnancy from the team, they were like family after all.

Whatever the case was Emily didn't have time to think it over just then.

Instead she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Hotch's number.

It rang a few times before he answered; his voice was groggy when he did pick up.

"Prentiss?" he asked "What is it?"

"Hotch, I'm with Garcia in an ambulance headed to the nearest hospital…"

"What?" Hotch asked on alert now.

"She was…" Emily looked over at her friend but Penelope turned away from her, Emily sighed "she might be having a miscarriage."

Penelope cringed.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a second, then "Penelope's pregnant…?"

"Yes," Emily said "You're what, twenty weeks right?"

Penelope bit her lip as Emily gave their boss that information and then nodded.

"Oh god…" Hotch began but then stopped himself "I'll get the team together and we'll meet you there."

"Okay" Emily said.

Before she could hang up Hotch added quietly "Please look after her Emily."

"Of course," Emily said with a frown and then the line went dead.


	3. Chapter 3

**Don't Own. **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

Aaron sped down the road and just narrowly missed being t-boned when he ran a stop sign, the other driver blared his horn as he hit his brakes.

Dave tightly gripping his door handle at the near miss, studied his friend "Whoa there, maybe I should drive."

"Sorry Dave," Aaron said slowing down "I'm just worried."

"And yet," Dave drawled "I know there's something more to it than that considering you're more freaked out than Morgan and it is his Baby Girl in trouble."

Aaron sighed looking over at his friend.

Dave arched a brow at him.

Aaron knew he could trust his friend but this was hard for him to say.

He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly before saying "I think the baby is mine."

"You mean you and Penelope..." Dave began.

"Yes, it was after the Christmas party that Strauss made us attend and we were both pretty drunk, I still don't remember how we made it to my apartment afterwards."

Dave was surprised, he had wondered on occasion if Aaron had feelings for Penelope but he never imagined the two would have slept together.

"And you had no idea she was pregnant?" Dave asked.

"No," Aaron said "I haven't really talked to her about anything other than work since it happened. I had planned...wanted to speak to her the next morning. I was hoping that it could be more than one night but then when I woke she was gone. There was no trace of her; it was like she hadn't been there to begin with. I wanted to talk to her when I got to work but she avoided me and after a while I stopped trying. I acknowledged the fact that she obviously didn't want to go down that road again, that she just wanted to forget it so I did too, or at least I tried to."

Aaron let out a frustrated grunt "I can't believe I didn't know she was pregnant, I know she's been moody lately but her being pregnant...it never crossed my mind. How could I not have known?"

"Hey," Dave said sternly "Don't do that, you can't blame yourself. None of us knew, she doesn't look like a woman who is five months pregnant. She fooled five other profilers not just you."

Aaron sighed and nodded "I know it's just I don't know how to feel. I'm scared to death that I'm about to lose something I didn't even know existed until twenty minutes ago, but it's actually something I really want."

Dave sighed "I get it, I don't know what to tell you but I do understand. What are you going to do when we get there?"

"I don't know." Aaron replied as he saw the large hospital come into view.

...

After quickly parking, Aaron and Dave hurried into the hospital, and asked the receptionist for Penelope's information.

Five minutes later they were being led down the hallway of the emergency area.

They stopped outside of Penelope's room and peered inside the glass door.

Penelope was lying on her side facing away from them, her body was shaking with sobs and Aaron felt his heart ache. Emily was sitting next to Penelope's bed holding one of her hands when she looked up and saw the two men.

She said something to Penelope and the tech nodded before Emily stood up and walked to the door.

She slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Emily looked sadly at her two friends as she quietly stated "Penelope doesn't want to see anyone, she lost one of the babies and she's understandably upset about it.

"Oh God..." Aaron felt his stomach churn, and had to stop himself from breaking down in front of Dave and Emily. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself and ran a hand over his face. He was about to turn and walk away but Dave's voice stopped him.

"Babies? There was more than one?"

Aaron turned back to Emily, he had tuned out as soon as Emily had stated the loss of the baby.

"Yeah, Pen's p...I mean she was pregnant with twins. One of them didn't make it but the doctor said the other one was healthy. He said he would be back; they're just trying to decide whether to remove the fetus or keep it in there until the other one is born. I think there are more risks to the second baby if they go with the first option but apparently it's a lot harder on the mother emotionally, if they go with the second one.

Without thinking Aaron had stepped forward and was pushing open the door to Penelope's room.

A hand landed on his arm and he looked up into Emily's eyes "Didn't you hear me?" She hissed "Pen doesn't want to see anyone."

Aaron shook his head "Just trust me," he said before pulling away from her hand, closing the door and stepping towards Penelope.

Emily frowned and looked at Dave for an answer but before she could ask the rest of the team arrived.

Aaron stepped into Penelope's line of vision and the tech's eyes widened before she closed them tightly.

Aaron sat down in the seat Emily had vacated and took Penelope's hand.

"Hotch," she gasped out in a sob trying to withdraw her hand "I...please, I don't want to see anyone."

"Shhh," Aaron whispered to her, his hand moving over to brush away her tears.

Penelope opened her mouth to protest but then stopped herself and she seemed to relax as she gave him a slight nod.

He heard a commotion outside and looked over to see Derek trying to force his way into the room but Dave was blocking his path, Aaron was thankful for that.

His attention was pulled back to Penelope when she broke out into fresh sobs. Her pain seemed to fill the room, her body shaking in despair as she lay in the fetal position.

Aaron couldn't take seeing her that way, he wanted to comfort her so forgetting about the rest of the team who were ever watchful outside the door, he stood up, going to move around to the other side of the bed. He was surprised when Penelope reached out and grabbed his hand after he let go "Don't leave me," she whispered in a tiny voice.

Aaron leaned down and kissed her forehead "I'm not going to."

Then he gently pulled away, walked around to the other side of the bed and slipped into it beside her.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and felt Penelope tense for a moment, but she quickly calmed down and rolled over. Her head found the crook of his neck and he pulled her closely to his body, his hands running soothing circles over her back.

Eventually Penelope's sobs subsided and Aaron looked down at her.

She rubbed her swollen eyes "I'm sorry…" she whispered to Aaron.

"Don't apologize," he answered firmly "this isn't your fault."

Penelope sniffed "Thanks for staying with me."

Aaron squeezed her shoulder comfortingly "Of course."

They sat in silence for a long time; Penelope knew that she should let Aaron leave but she wasn't willing to let him go just yet.

Aaron moved slightly and Penelope worried that he was about to get up but instead he only turned so that he could face her more clearly.

"Penelope," he said "I'm sorry but I have to ask, am I the father?"

Penelope gaped at him "How did you?"

"I simply did the math," he explained "You being 20 weeks would just coincide with the night we had sex."

"But…" Penelope stuttered "you remember that?"

Aaron frowned "Of course I do, what did you think?"

"Well you never brought it up again…."

Aaron didn't let her finish "I didn't bring it up because I thought that's what you wanted. You avoided me and preoccupied yourself when I tried to talk to you. I thought you wanted to forget that it happened."

"Oh…" Penelope said and he could see her tearing up again "I'm so sorry Aaron. You were so drunk that night and I thought that if you had been in your right mind then there was no way you would have slept with me. I've been trying to tell you about the twins…" she looked down at her hands "But I just didn't know how to and now…"

Aaron pulled her to him a little tighter.

"Though that night is a bit hazy I do remember most of it and I have to say you're right. If I had been sober I never would have slept with you…"

Penelope tensed and tried to pull away.

But Aaron wouldn't let her, instead used his hand to lift her chin so she was looking him in the eye "But that's not because I didn't want you…god no, I've been practically infatuated with you for the last few years but considering I'm your boss I knew it wouldn't be appropriate to act on it and it could get both of us in trouble. Penelope you have no idea what you do to me. You bring a smile to my face on a daily basis which is nearly an impossible task, you understand me in ways that no one else does and sometimes if I'm working side by side with you I'll get distracted because you're stunningly beautiful. You're everything I want in a woman, so please, don't sell yourself short."

"You really mean all of that?" Penelope asked.

"Every last word," he answered "and if you hadn't run out on me that morning I was planning on asking you if we could be more. I want to date you Penelope Garcia."

Penelope's eyes widened.

"I understand if you need time to think about it, and I know this wasn't the best time to bring it up…"

It was Penelope's turn to cut him off "No, it was the perfect moment," she said leaning up to give him a quick kiss "I've been so worried about telling you, and about raising them…"

Penelope stopped abruptly, her thoughts returning to her current situation and her eyes moved down to her stomach "I guess not them anymore."

Aaron closed his eyes, feeling her pain; he kissed her on the forehead.

"It's not fair," she whispered resting her hand on her stomach.

"I know," Aaron said, his hand moving hesitantly to cover hers.

"I should have told you sooner, I'm so sorry" a tear slipped down her cheek again.

"I know," Aaron repeated "it's okay, things will get better, we'll be okay."

They both looked up as the door opened and the doctor, followed by the rest of the team, walked in.

…

**Yeah, so there's only five more days until I'm off. I'm not sure if I'll get anymore posting done since I'm crazy busy getting ready, so just in case this is my last post for the next two months, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for following and reviewing. I also hope you'll all still be here when I get back. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Don't Own. **

**Please R&R**

**Apparently I should state more often that I don't plan to write another chapter because that seems to be the when I get them done even faster… **

**Anyway I had some spare time while waiting for an appointment since my doctor's office was running late, and was able to whip this up. **

**Hope you like it! **

Spencer watched as his team argued by the door. He knew Derek was naturally anxious to see Penelope but he believed they should respect their friend's wishes. If she wasn't ready to see them then he would just deal with that until she was.

He turned away from the group and looked in at his friend, his brows rising in surprise as he did.

Spencer couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Aaron lying next to Penelope. They looked so intimate that Spencer felt like he was intruding on a private moment and opted to look away.

Someone gasped behind him and he turned to see that the arguing had ceased, they were all staring past him into Penelope's room.

"What...?" Derek began, clearly at a loss for words "What is he doing?"

Rossi shook his head "What's it look like? Garcia clearly needed some comfort and so he's comforting her."

"That's not how a boss comforts their subordinate." Derek muttered.

"No," Dave agreed "but it's how a friend would."

Derek huffed but didn't add anything.

"I think we should give them some privacy," Spencer piped up "Garcia's feeling bad enough as it is, she doesn't need to be gawked at like a fish in a fishbowl."

Derek glared daggers at the genius but Dave nodded "Reid's right, there's no need to make them feel uncomfortable."

Dave headed down the hallway, followed closely by Emily, JJ and Reid.

Derek didn't move, the sight of Penelope and Aaron had caused his stomach to flip, he wasn't willing to admit what exactly was bothering him but he was pissed off.

He wanted to march into the hospital room and pull Aaron away from his Baby Girl so that he could take his rightful place.

"Morgan," Dave called from the end of the hallway, using his no-nonsense tone.

Derek grumbled but followed after the team, perhaps it was best, he needed some time to sort out his thoughts.

They found seats in the closest waiting area and Derek dropped into his. He kept his head down as the rest of the team talked quietly around him.

"I can't believe PG is pregnant," JJ said "and five months, I mean gosh, I was bigger than her by four months and she was carrying twins."

"I know," Emily said "but apparently after she started eating based on a plan her doctor had given her, she started losing weight. The doctor said that was normal but she should start gaining weight soon enough."

"It's just so unbelievable," Spencer added "and it's surprising she didn't tell us. The average time couples keep the news about a new baby to themselves is just over three months. Doctor's discourage telling your friends and family any time before 8 weeks, but after that they're encouraged to do so."

"We'll that's the point isn't it?" Emily said "you said on average couples tell after three months but Penelope is single as far as I know. Her and Lynch called it quits months ago. I did ask her who the father was on the way here but she didn't answer me. Did anyone know she was pregnant?"

Both spencer and JJ shook their heads.

"Rossi?" Emily asked.

Dave looked at her and blinked, he had been lost in his thoughts.

"Sorry?" He asked.

Emily shook her head "Did you know Pen was pregnant."

"No." He answered.

Emily pursed her lips and turned to Derek who was looking at the floor but Dave shook his head, it wasn't a good idea to disturb the man at the moment.

Dave was concerned about the way Derek was acting. He was mostly concerned about what it would mean for Penelope and Aaron. It was no secret to anyone on the team that Derek cared for Penelope very much. He had always thought that if two members of the team were going to get together it would be Derek and Penelope, but now considering that wasn't the case he wondered if Derek would be able to handle Penelope and Aaron's relationship, whether they got together or not. He knew that if Derek couldn't handle it, it could quite possibly break up the team.

"Excuse me Miss?" A doctor said walking over to them "you came in with Penelope Garcia right?"

Emily stood up "Yes," she answered quickly.

"We've come to a decision, is someone with her now, she'll need some support?"

"Uh yes," Emily said following the doctor as he headed back to Penelope's room "one of our other friends is with her."

"Good," the doctor said "the next few months are going to be very hard on Miss Garcia and she's going to need a support system."

The rest of the team had also followed the doctor and soon they were walking into Penelope's room.

The two on the bed seemed even closer now and Derek tensed.

Aaron pulled away from Penelope to get up but Penelope grabbed the fabric of his shirt, she looked pleadingly up at him and he stopped moving.

He felt slightly undignified lying there with not only the team but the doctor standing there staring at him, but he held his head up high and nodded at the doctor to continue.

"Are you the father?" The doctor asked.

"Yes," Aaron answered without hesitation shocking the rest of the team.

Derek's jaw clenched as he narrowed his eyes on the unit chief. He opened his mouth but Dave elbowed him before he could say anything.

Derek turned his glare on Dave but shut up as the Doctor started speaking.

"Penelope I've consulted with my colleagues and we reviewed your scans, we've come to the conclusion that the best thing to do would be to keep the first baby inside until you deliver the other one. It's too risky to take it out without disrupting the second baby and that one needs to stay in there for as long as possible."

Penelope buried her head in Aaron's chest, the thought of carrying around the dead twin made her sick to her stomach. She knew either way it would be hard but she had secretly hoped that they would take it out, so that she could do her best to keep it off her mind.

She felt Aaron's hand on her back, running up and down soothingly "Will there be any risk to the second twin if the other one is in there?"

"No," the doctor said "the second twin will be perfectly safe; the other baby poses no threat to the healthy one."

Aaron nodded.

"I need your consent Penelope?" the doctor said "That's our recommendation but it's ultimately your choice what we do."

When Penelope didn't say anything Aaron looked down "It's going to be okay Penelope, I know it's hard but I'll be here for you and we'll get through it together."

Penelope nodded against his chest "You have my consent," her voice was muffled "but could you please…I just want to be left alone right now."

The doctor nodded "I want you to stay overnight for observation but I'll come back in the morning, we have some things to discuss before you're discharged."

"Thank you," Aaron said to the doctor before he stepped out of the room.

Before anyone could say anything about what had just happened or been revealed, Aaron's cell went off.

He frowned, dug through his pocket and pulled it out "Aaron Hotchner" he answered.

His frown intensified as he listened to what the person on the other line had to say.

"Alright," he said "we'll be right there."

He hung up the phone "They've found another body. Dave, I want you, Prentiss and Reid to head to the crime scene. Morgan you and JJ will meet Detective Morris at the police station, and go through the leads again. Keep me updated."

"What?" Derek began anger coming off his voice and body language "We can't just leave…"

"There's nothing you can be doing here," Aaron said and Derek stare grew intense with fiery hatred at the dismissal, how dare the older profiler decide that there was nothing he could do to help his Baby Girl.

Aaron shook his head "I need you out in the field Morgan, that's an order. The sooner we catch this guy the sooner we can get back home."

Derek stared down at Penelope, deep down hoping she would ask him to stay, to protect her like he always did but when she didn't say anything, he gave a curt nod and just about stormed out of the room.

The rest of the team left quietly, with well wishes to Penelope and a promise to be back soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Don't Own. **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

After two days in hospital Penelope's doctor finally cleared her to leave. The team had caught their unsub, even with Aaron only helping from the sidelines, he had spent all of his time by Penelope's side.

Everyone was eager to get back on the jet and go home; the case had been more stressful considering their personal ordeal. None of them wanted to go home more that Penelope did but she was also afraid to get on the plane.

It wasn't just the plane; Penelope had been happy when they told her she could leave the hospital and yet scared to death at the same time. She was scared to move, she feared that she would do something to hurt the other baby.

The only thing that was getting her through it was Aaron by her side. He had driven her to the airport before they needed to be there and helped her onto the jet without any prying eyes there to watch them. Each step he had been encouraging and helpful. He had gotten Penelope seated and comfortable in a window seat and then had sat down beside her. He had pushed up the armrest so that he could easily wrap his arms around her, and let her relax back into him.

By the time the rest of the team had arrived and gotten on the jet Penelope was fast asleep with her head on Aaron's shoulder.

Aaron didn't say anything as they all got on. Their eyes all drifted to him in surprise for a moment but he didn't care, he wasn't ashamed of his actions nor embarrassed. Penelope needed him and he was going to be there for her. He had promised her as well as himself that whatever she needed from now on to make this pregnancy easier on her, he was going to do everything he could to get it for her.

The rest of his team seemed to get that, the only one who obviously didn't was Derek. His surprise turned to disgust and his eyes lingered on them for a long time.

Aaron could practically feel Derek's eyes boring into him but chose to ignore it, instead he closed his eyes and tried to sleep as well.

He hadn't planned on sleeping during the flight but apparently he was more tired than he thought because a few minutes after his eyes had drifted shut, he was fast asleep.

…

When Dave was sure that Aaron was asleep, he got up from his seat and walked over to Derek, sitting down across from him.

Derek glowered at the older profiler.

"Do you mind Rossi?" he grumbled and held up the book he had sitting in his lap "I'm trying to read."

"And yet it would seem as though you haven't gotten past the first page," Dave countered.

Derek made what sounded like a growling sound and tossed his book to the table.

"So what?" he asked.

"What's the matter with you?" Dave said keeping his voice low.

Derek shook his head "Screw off Rossi, I'm not in the mood for a heart to heart."

Dave glared at Derek "You listen here Morgan, I don't know what exactly the relationship is between Aaron and Penelope, or what is going to happen in the future, but you better leave them alone so they can figure it out. Penelope's in a fragile state right now and she doesn't need you to go and make it worse."

Derek snorted, but his eyes were glinting with anger "Whatever."

"I mean it Derek; if you won't talk to me about it then you better heed my warning. Whatever is going on in your head you best get it sorted out. We don't need this team falling apart just because you couldn't keep your anger in check."

Derek's jaw clicked "You're joking right? You think it'd be my fault that the team fell apart, I'm not the one that slept with a subordinate and broke the Bureau's rules."

"You and I both know that's not what this is about;" Dave said "besides none of the rest of the team has a problem with it. You know the Bureau's not going to tear a unit apart and fire two of the best agents they have over something like this, unless one or more members of the team feel uncomfortable about it. So again I say, you don't want to break up the team over this."

Derek shook his head and looked away.

Dave sighed "At least try to keep Penelope's happiness in mind and what your actions would do to her, you might not be able to see it right now but I think she's looks pretty comfortable where she is. Do you really want to ruin that for her?"

Derek didn't turn to face Dave, pretending like he hadn't heard him.

Dave shook his head and stood up; he really hoped Derek would do the right thing.

…

When just under an hour remained in the flight Penelope began to wake up. Aaron had already woken up a while before and he leaned over to place a kiss on her forehead when she looked up at him.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked.

She nodded.

He smiled "I'm glad."

Penelope yawned and burrowed her head against his chest. "Are we almost home?" she whispered.

"Yes," Aaron replied "there's about forty-five minutes left in the flight."

Penelope sighed.

"What's wrong?" Aaron asked.

Penelope didn't answer at first and Aaron had to coax it out of her. He rubbed her back soothingly "Hey, you can tell me," he whispered "how can I help if I don't know what's wrong?"

"I'm just," Penelope sniffed and wiped her nose "I'm worried about being back in my apartment. What if something happens and I'm alone? What if I hurt the other…"

"Shh," Aaron said "don't think about that. Nothing is going to happen to the other baby and besides…" he took a deep breath "I was hoping you wouldn't have to go back to your apartment. I wanted to know if you'd move in with me instead?"

Penelope's eyes widened and she seemed to be thinking it over. "That's kind of…I mean are you sure? What about Jack?"

"We'll figure it out," Aaron said, "we'd have to tell him sometime anyways, it would be best to get it out in the open right at the beginning."

"I…are you sure?" Penelope asked still quite shocked.

"Of course Pen," Aaron said "that way you won't be alone, not when you're at home. You don't have to worry; I want to take care of you."

Penelope sighed "I'd love to move in with you."

Aaron grinned and gave her a soft peck, then he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear "Why don't you try to get back to sleep for a little longer, I'll wake you before we land."

"Okay," Penelope answered and snuggled closer to him "thanks."


End file.
